Road Fan

I liked that comment about the tire selection! What are they?

Steel Charlie

Crap pic, but ....
1990 Gios Compact. Oria KK tubes, all Ultegra 2x9, missing some graphics and shabby paint but super ride. Deserves some spiffing up. Most definitely a keeper.

Alleytom

Panaracer Gravelking 700x38, SK on the front, SS on the rear

Desertrats97

Just completed this for my son.
88 bianchi with Dura ace 7700, a 7400 crank for that vintage look and some mavic One light wheels. Rides smooth

Desertrats97

Here is my pride and joy. One above is my sons new rig. Heres mine. 88 Bianchi full Dura ace 7800

BMC_Kid 

My latest retro-roadie project is a classic early'80s Picchio Special. In keeping with my passion for retro-modern builds, this bike features a balanced blend of components. It’s equipped with an 11-speed Campagnolo drivetrain, including Super Record shifters, rear derailleur, and seatpost. The setup is complemented by an 11-speed Athena crankset and front derailleur, along with a 10-speed Athena brake set for reliable stopping power. A Record headset ensures smooth steering.

For the finishing touches on my retro-roadie, I selected a sleek black anodized 3ttt stem and handlebars from my stash of parts, which I’ve meticulously wrapped in Leh leather bar tape. The Acorn bar tape features an elegant stitched and perforated design, providing both comfort and a touch of sophistication. This choice harmoniously complements the brown Repente Artax saddle, creating a cohesive and stylish aesthetic that nods to both tradition and modernity.

The wheels are a true highlight, crafted with 9-speed Record Titanium hubs and H Plus Son Archetype rims, polished to a mirror finish. They’re wrapped in 28mm Continental GP5000 tires for a perfect balance of speed and comfort. This build not only pays homage to cycling’s golden era but also delivers modern performance.





Behind the Picchio is one of my previous builds, a ‘91 Zullo SLX with 11-speed Athena, 10-speed Chorus hubs and H Plus Sons Archetype rims.

shuru421

BMC_Kid 

Very nice! Everyone has different preferences for what they consider aesthetically pleasing. Some even view modern groupsets on vintage frames as sacrilegious. Personally, I’m not that extreme and appreciate both original bikes and those that have been upgraded over time.

However, I tend to lean toward keeping components silver. This choice aligns with the more traditional aesthetics of the heyday of modern cycling. In most of my retro-mods, I’ve followed this approach. The exception is my Tesch, which features all black components. Somebody called it being murdered out. Surprisingly, this unconventional combination works brilliantly for both my Tesch and your Merckx. Maybe it’s the red paint?!!!

brandenjs

Just finished up this Diamondback Interval TG for my son. He just wanted to get away from downtubes and wanted the adaptability of changing stems. Not really a fan of the quill adapters myself. Just used a set of the Micronew inexpensive 7 speed shifters, but they work just fine. Fun ride.

PromptCritical 

I generally with keeping stuff period correct (silver), but that bike is gorgeous!

BMC_Kid 

Thanks! I can be having the roughest day but it puts a smile on my face every time I swing a log over it.

shuru421

Nice Tesch! Theres a local here selling a green one! How do those ride?? Its the S-22 correct?

Lolll maybe its the red/black combo.

I appreciate steel bikes and 95% of the ones Ive owned ran 8 speed ONLY (Campagnolo/Shimano), but its truly undeniable when you compare how much lighter new groupsets are compared to those of 8/9 speed groupsets from that era, Im no 'weight-weenie' in anyway, just speaking in terms of facts. I love my bikes and will outfit them with newer tech over time if it makes sense for me to do so. Performance wise, 8 or 11spd, I like them both!

mruneedahelmet

My mid 90's Concorde Prestige already had 6400 STI shifters and drivetrain but I thought it could use an update:

daywood 

I think black components go really well with red or bright yellow frames. But I understand your point about the classic look of silver components, although I suspect that was more about efficient manufacturing (and maybe manufacturing capability) and universal adaptability than it was about aesthetics. A trend developed and it stuck in our consciousness. It’s like if you restore a Model T, you’re not going to paint it candy apple green. But if you hot rod it . . .

BMC_Kid 

Thanks, the Tesch with the True Temper S-22 tubing is a very different ride than any of my other vintage steel bikes, the rest of which are some type of Columbus standard sized tubing. The S-22 geometry is very aggressive and produces a very fast handling bike. The oversized tubing gives a much stiffer frame and power transfer is must better than the SL or SLX tubing but is surprisingly not uncomfortable. I love it. I originally built it up with Dura-Ace 8-speed 7410 after I restored it. Weight difference was not even a factor in my decision to go 11-speed. Like most of my other bikes in regular rotation, once I started riding Campy 11-speed, I found it more enjoyable and slowly have been converting over those bikes that weren’t already at least DA 9-speed. The controllers on this generation and the 12-speed just seem to fit my hands better than Shimano and SRAM. My 91 Team Miyata is 9-speed DA 7700 and my 95 Titanium Quattro Assi is mostly 10-speed DA 7800 both of which a joy to ride. My 2004 BMC SLT01 is running 10-speed SRAM Red and I will be rebuilding it later in the year with Campy 12-speed SR and Record.

shuru421

Yup, sounds about right.

keith_h

Rossin Record, Campagnolo Potenza, H+Son rims, Record hubs.

keith_h

Rossin Columbia, a machine made for the German Petermann bike stores c 1987. Potenza, Scirocco wheels, SMP saddle. Paint is original. This one has the bigger bottom bracket shell, frame could be SLX, I never checked before I had it assembled. Whatever the case its magnificent to ride.

keith_h

Rossin RC 4000 Sprint. Shown here with 10 speed Campagnolo drivetrain, since repurposed for Eroica. Frame is Cromor. This is a really nice bike to ride, responsive and sharp handling.

IZ75

Nice rides Keith!

tkm

Literally everything today is black. Stems, seatposts, groupsets, etc. It's just cheaper to do that than making sonething polished, so they try to push it as "stylish" because it saves them a few bucks. Make no mistake though, a lot of OEM's in the 70's and 80's tried to make their bikes look as good as possible and polished groupsets and chromed stays/forks had a lot to do with that.

I have no problem with putting modern-ish groupsets on an older frame but using all black just doesn't look right IMO. I specifically hunted down early polished Campy 10 speed for mine, but even something like 11 speed 105 from a few years ago can be had polished.

Black Dura-Ace is a crime against humanity (sans the carbon bits). That should never be. Same with Campy not making a modern polished groupset. Shame on them.

BMC_Kid 

For classic-style frames, it’s true that a sleek silver anodized or polished groupset is unmatched. However, those days are largely behind us. The majority of consumers, aside from vintage bike enthusiasts and maybe those who like a classic-looking bike (both very small minorities), have shifted their preference to black and carbon components. The automotive industry reflects a similar trend. Take my MINI Cooper, for instance, which features chrome trim—a detail I personally appreciate. However, at club gatherings, I've noticed that most of the rest of the club members prefer blacked-out trim and often ask me why I haven’t followed suit. Bicycle component manufacturers have recognized this trend and the associated cost benefits, as these parts require less finishing and craftsmanship. Given that the prices of groupsets haven’t decreased, it’s reasonable to infer that manufacturers are enjoying higher profit margins.

Silver anodized Campagnolo 11-speed groupsets are likely to remain available for some time. Personally, I have a preference for the Athena range, although it’s less readily available compared to the Centaur. However, they are still on the market, albeit you may need to assemble one piece by piece. As for modernity, an 11-speed setup is quite contemporary - I don't know how much more "modern" than that you need and it’s worth noting that the trend is shifting towards electronic disc brake groupsets across all brands in the near future. For my last retro-mod build, an 80s Picchio, I did mix some SR 11-speed carbon with my silver Athena but that was only because I didn't have the corresponding Athena and didn't want the temptation of sourcing the remaining carbon components and building up yet another bike, haha. If I come across nice silver replacements at a decent price, I'll probably swap them out but the carbon is not a deal breaker for me.